convergence festival: conducting the machine

A session of talks on machine learning, robotics and code presented as part of the Convergence Sessions

For the fourth year in a row, onedotzero hosts a programme of talks as part of the Convergence Festival. Conducting the machine features artists and educators who use machine learning, robotics, wearable computing, coding and prosthetics to design performative systems and interactive experiences. Introduced by Shane Walter, Creative Director at onedotzero, the session will include keynotes presentations from three speakers as well as a live coding talk/demo from Lil Data. 

Convergence is London’s festival for music, art and technology. Launched in 2014, the festival facilitates an active dialogue around performance and technology, and provides a platform for unusual projects, one-off special events and collaborations featuring emerging artists and established pioneers.

onedotzero: conducting the machine

Confirmed speakers:

Ruairi Glynn is Director of the Interactive Architecture Lab, and practicing digital artist with recent exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou Paris, the National Art Museum of China Beijing, and the Tate Modern, London. Drawing influence from the fields of psychophysics, cybernetics, and performance, his recent interactive installations have reflected upon rapid developments in robotics, and artificial intelligence exploring their uncanny aesthetics.

Phoenix Perry creates physical games and user experiences. Her work looks for opportunities to bring people together to raise awareness of our collective interconnectivity. As an advocate for women in game development, she founded Code Liberation Foundation, and is also an entrepreneur and principal founder in Dozen Eyes Games, a company producing works for social change and interactive installations. She is currently Lecturer in Physical Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London.


Mostafa ElSayed is co founder of Automata Technologies, a London based robotics start up working to make industrial robotics more affordable and accessible to a variety of users. He is a graduate of the Architectural Association in London and is also a course tutor at the Design Research Lab program there.

Lil Data aka Jack Armitage is a PhD Student in Media & Arts Technologies and musician, part of London-based record label PC Music. He has been live coding for three years, performing at Heaven (London), The Garage (SXSW), Create (Hollywood), and Berghain (Berlin). He has three years experience as a research engineer working at ROLI and FXpansion, and is now part of the Augmented Instruments Lab in the Centre for Digital Music. There he works on Bela, the embedded platform for ultra-low latency audio and sensor processing, and is researching craft in digital musical instrument design.

Shane Walter is a multi-disciplinary creative director, designer, curator, commissioner and writer working in digital for 25 years, He is co-founder and creative director of onedotzero, a global- reaching digital cultural agency and international festival now in its 20th year at the forefront of digital culture.